One Choice
by Focid
Summary: It's a one shot. I'd like you to read this.


**Disclaimer: I'm not the person who came up with pokemon. But anyways, read, review, and enjoy :)**

One Choice

The sun glinted off a red orb. The white bottom half was submerged in the salty water of the sea. A faded blue sticker with a star clung to the ball, refusing to be washed away. The fire engine red caught the eyes of a suicune. Curious, he waded out into the sea, and plucked the ball out of the water. He carried it to land, through the tall grass that waved in the wind, up a small hill, into a covert cave, and after laying it down, he pushed the center button. A red ray of light streamed out, and formed into a mightyena. The dog-like Pokémon's fur was straggly, and it was emaciated. Its dim eyes sparked a bit, and it looked around. Her legs could barely support her own weight, and she collapsed. She tried to get her feet under her, but violent shakes racked her body.

The suicune looked with concern at the mightyena. "How long have you been poisoned?"

"… I don't know…. I'm pretty sure it's been a while."

The suicune gritted his teeth. "There's no way berries can heal you all the way. But, I can try."

A spark of hope lit the weak Pokémon's eyes. "You're a legendary, surely there's a way you can help me? If not, if there's a poke-center, a nurse could help."

"… I can't do that. The poke-center isn't close but neither is it far. But, I can't risk getting too close to humans."

"I… I…… understand." The mightyena quivered and said in an impossibly small voice "Am I going to die?"

With a sigh, the suicune said "There's not much I can do. I can find some berries, and maybe that could help. If worst comes to worst, I can make sure you're comfortable."

"… Thank-"

"Don't," interrupted the suicune "thank me. I could potentially help you, I could bring you to the poke-center that's relatively close, but I'm too much of a coward to do so. Please, don't thank me." While speaking, the suicune avoided looking at the limp mightyena and once done speaking, he padded out of the cave to find some berries.

He wasn't gone long before he returned with multiple berries. With gentle care, he stood over the mightyena and fed her one bite at a time. Her wounds healed slightly, and the poison in her blood went away. However, she'd been poisoned too long, and being confined in the poke-ball starving didn't help her condition either. There was no avoiding it. She would die. Albeit slower than if she were to be left alone, but she'd die comfortable.

Silence shrouded the small cave, weaving an impenetrable barrier the longer it was left to be. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the suicune asked "What is your name?"

Looking slightly embarrassed, the mightyena replied "My human called me Princess…"

The suicune tried not to laugh, but a chuckle managed to escape. "Don't you have another name? Surely you had a name before your person caught you."

The mightyena shook her head "I was a small pup when I was caught. If I had a name, I can't remember it…. What about you? What's your name?"

"I'm called Galreith."

"Why did you just so happen to be here, where my poke-ball floated by? Did you know I'd be here? Is it magic?"

"No, it's not. I'm not as powerful as you seem to think I am. I can't tell what goes on in the whole entire world. I travel and clean the waters. You just happened to float by where I was. It wasn't magic, it was purely chance. What about yourself? Why did your person abandon you?"

Princess winced at the question. "Ava would never abandon me. I fell off a bout after a battle on an island. The island didn't have any poke-centers, so Ava had to take a ferry. She'd never abandon me or toss me overboard. I was her strongest. I was her favorite. She and I were partners….. she would never." However, by the look on her own face, it was easy to tell that Princess might not have believed her own words. She paused then continued "May-Maybe there was a storm. Maybe she lost her balance or my poke-ball slipped out of her hand. I don't know what it was, but I'm sure she wouldn't leave me to die."

Galreith looked grave when he said "Don't worry about it; I'm sure you're right. You're lucky, or unlucky, it depends on what your point of view is, to be alive. I guess the poke-ball puts Pokémon in a trance like state, that way you could go days without food or water."

Looking curious Princess inquired "How would you know? You've never been in a poke-ball."

It was Galreith's turn to wince. "Actually, yes I have. I was able to break free, but I was for a few moments." After he spoke, it seemed as if both ran out of things to say. Silence came again to blanket them, but this time it was comfortable. They both knew more about each other, and trust was between them.

Dusk came, the sun set, and the air cooled. The moon came out, shining its rays into the small cave to reveal two slumbering figures. Later, the cool air reached its tendrils into the cave and caressed the large and small silhouettes. When it touched the smaller one, it found it already cold and beginning to stiffen.

Galreith woke with the sun, to find his friend dead. Despair crushed his heart, and he felt numb. He hadn't gotten along with other Pokémon quite as well as he'd gotten along with Princess, and she was gone. How much he'd wanted to talk to her about. How much he'd wanted to have company. And just like that, his chance was gone. Why? It was because he was too scared to face the humans. He could have saved a life, but he refused to.

_I could have saved her. But I was afraid of mere humans. I could have done something, anything, yet I did close to nothing. All because I felt I couldn't survive in a small orb. I'm a coward, afraid of something most Pokémon stay in perfectly content for most of their lives._ He tormented himself, delving deeper and deeper into this thoughts until he could no longer contain his despair. He darted out of the cave and let loose a wail that reverberated around the land for all trainers to hear.

Not far away, a child lifted her head up. "Jake, didya hear that? I bet it's a really strong Pokémon just waiting for me to catch it!" Without another word, she and her friend crashed through the land, determined to get to the maker of the noise hoping that it'd still be there. They didn't know that a mighty suicune stood not far away, waiting for a battle, waiting for blood, waiting to rip others to shreds to vent his despair.


End file.
